Reporter’s Notebook: Remarks by Councilmember John J. Kennedy, Chair Public Safety Committee

Due to the importance of Wednesday’s Public Safety meeting on use of force and police oversight, Pasadena Now is running a transcript of PSC Chair John Kennedy’s comments in full.

John Kennedy: The wrongful and shameful death of George Floyd provides us all with a moment of clarity, the need for reflection and a call to action. Clearly, the events of the last two weeks leave little doubt that America is awakening and demanding accountability and reform. Without question, people of all ethnicities, political preference and lifestyle are uniting and standing arm in arm and shoulder to shoulder to stamp out racism, the selective enforcement of laws and rights, and violations by a select few rogue cops.

I stand again to address not only all who reside and work in Pasadena.. From our major cities of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to the coal and steel towns in rural Pennsylvania to the farming communities of Kansas and Alabama, America is awakening and is motivating. Pasadena is one such community. Indeed, with some hard work and a lot of dedication, Pasadena may be a model of leadership for change and the end of racism and the arbitrary and capricious enforcement of law based on the color of one’s skin.

History always has two often intertwined seminal qualities, tragedy and opportunity. And out the tragedy of George Floyd and so many others comes the opportunity to create a better future for all us. A future where racism is something that is taught in history classes, but not experienced on the street and in daily life. Where laws are applied fairly and equally across all of society, regardless of color and economic status as simple justice demands and expects. It is with this spirit of hope and change that on Monday, June 8, I addressed City Council and offered four-points as a starting place for positive and permanent change:

1. Civilian Oversight;

2. Budget and Resource Review;

3. Interaction; and

4. Ongoing Review Process.

To this end, I have assembled a volunteer team of scholars, lawyers, business professionals and community leaders, most of whom are residents of Pasadena, to advise me informally in my role as Chair of the Public Safety Committee as we begin to address, more fully, each of the four points that I submitted.

These non-compensated and dedicated citizens will be objectively comparing Pasadena and our performance and needs to other communities across the country as well as creatively brainstorming with the ambition of generating new ideas for systemic and permanent change consistent with the public safety mission, resources and local realities. My hope is that collectively, this group, as well as others, will produce ideas of merit for change…change that will, in fact, create not only a better Pasadena, but a better United States.

In its oversight role, the Public Safety Committee may decide to adopt another process or augment what I have offered. An example of another process is taking the pledge for police reform coming from President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Foundation.

History will record this as a terrible tragedy, a very harsh dose of reality and with it, profound indignation and sadness. However, from this tragedy history will show this to be a moment of supreme opportunity for a better Pasadena and a better world. African Americans, Latino Americans, Caucasian Americans, Women and the LGBTQi community simply want to breathe! George Floyd you have inspired the world and I, for one, promise to do everything to eradicate racism and white supremacy in all its ugly and subliminal forms in Pasadena and beyond. Let us unite as people of goodwill to seize the moment and create a more just society!